About EBSA18 - Course E - Preventing exposure to biological agents in BSL2 laboratories, learning from the best practice in containment and understanding the inherit risks from equipment.

Instructors
Simon Parks, PHE Porton
Ian Hackford Institution, Imperial College London

Description
Preventing exposure to hazardous agents has long been a driving force within high containment facilities, but BSL2 laboratories are often seen as safe ground.
However, when looking at laboratory acquired infections, the majority are within BSL2 facilities and whilst most are treatable the impacts can still be significant to the individuals and the organizations involved. The working practices used within high containment facilities can impose significant restrictions and costs, which are simply not practical for more general laboratories; however there are many principles which can be applied to improve the working environment and prevent possible exposure.
Microbiological laboratories are becoming rapidly changing environments, with the constant introduction of new and often complex equipment, automated systems and robotics. These pose new challenges to the old problems of preventing exposure and achieving effective decontamination.
Through a combination of lectures and interactive group sessions the participants will gain a better understanding of the possible routes of exposure, both for laboratory and maintenance staff. From this they will then be able to make better informed decisions on the purchasing of new equipment, introduction of new working methods and the potential impact of introducing new technologies. The interactive seasons will enable the participants to share their experiences and learn from others, including case studies derived from the experience of the instructors.
The course is aimed at laboratory mangers, biological safety officers and those facilities staff with direct input into equipment specification and purchasing.

Main topics

• Recognizing routes of exposure to hazardous biological agents
• Safe working practices and recognizing the need for change.
• Evaluating equipment for biological exposure risk from both normal operation and equipment failures.
• Understanding decontamination strategies for new and novel equipment